Читать книгу: «A Forever Family Collection», страница 17

CHAPTER SEVEN

ABBY headed out to the front step, shaking some crumbs from the breakfast tablecloth. Luke couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen someone use a fabric tablecloth—it must be one of the things her aunt had left.

‘So what are we going to do today?’ There was a twinkle in his eye. He could think of lots of things he’d like to do with Abby today.

‘We—’ she emphasized the word strongly as she looked pointedly at Reuben ‘—were going to do a little shopping, then head down to the beach.’

Luke glanced downwards at his rumpled clothes—a fine cotton shirt and dress trousers— not exactly made for the beach. He grimaced as he thought of the contents of his suitcase—more shirts, suits and ties. Clothes designed to wear at a professional conference to impress. No casual clothes at all. Certainly nothing suitable for a beach.

He turned his head towards the ocean view outside. The early sunrise sent shimmers of pink and orange glistening across the cove waters. It was going to be a gorgeous day.

‘Think you can manage to spend the day with a family, bachelor boy?’ It was a loaded question and Abby didn’t wait for his response but turned on her heel and headed back into the kitchen.

Luke watched her retreating back, in her figure-hugging shorts and skimpy T-shirt. He could only imagine what she’d look like in a bikini. It was a sight he didn’t want to miss.

‘You bet,’ he murmured as he followed her indoors.

An hour later they were in one of the local stores. Abby flicked through the rails. ‘Nope, nope, no, no…’ She gave him a cursory glance as the clothes hangers practically skidded along the rails. ‘Ahh, this one.’ She held up a purple T-shirt and tossed it in his direction with a nod of approval, before moving over to the clothes stand with stacks of folded shorts.

Luke shook his head in bewilderment at the mirror, as he held the T-shirt up in front of him. He gave a little smile. The colouring and style were perfect for him, he squinted at the label— yes, it was the right size, the woman hadn’t lost her touch.

He heard a loud sigh at his feet. Reuben was sitting on the floor, bucket and spade in hand, looking extremely bored. ‘She does this with me too.’

‘Does what?’

‘Picks all my clothes.’ He shook his little blond head. ‘It’s best not to argue or we’ll be here for ever.’

Luke let out a roar of laughter. Spoken like a man who knew which battles to fight. Reuben screwed up his nose as he stared at Luke’s purple T-shirt, ‘She usually picks good stuff. You should be okay.’

‘Okay for what?’ Abby appeared at their sides, clutching two pairs of knee-length shorts in her hands. She pointed towards the nearby changing room. ‘Go and make sure these fit,’ she said, thrusting the shorts in his direction.

He raised his eyebrow at her. ‘What’s wrong, Abs, worried you’ve forgotten what size I am?’

She rolled her eyes at his innuendo-laden question, before giving him a naughty smile of her own. ‘Heads up, little guy.’ She tapped Reuben on the shoulder. ‘I’ve decided that you can pick Luke’s swimwear.’

She pointed towards a rail loaded with various styles of swimming shorts and trunks. Luke gulped. The neon bright colors were already hurting his eyes from a distance.

‘Cool,’ mumbled Reuben, before heading over towards the rail.

‘You don’t mind—do you, Luke?’

He shook his head quickly before ducking inside the changing room. ‘Please, please, don’t let it be the tiny trunks,’ he muttered as he pushed his legs into the shorts Abby had picked for him. In less than thirty seconds he was done. Both sets of shorts were perfect for the beach, loose fitting and ending just above his knees.

He stuck his head back out the changing room. ‘The shorts are fine, but do I only get one T-sh—’ He stopped. Abby had already picked out another two T-shirts for him. She stared down at his long legs. ‘The shorts are nice…’ she smiled ‘…but we really need to do something about those shoes.’

Luke laughed and followed her gaze. Beach shorts and black leather Italian shoes really didn’t mix.

‘I’ve found you the best pair of swimmers ever, Luke!’ Reuben rushed over, holding the brightly coloured shorts in front of him. ‘Whaddya think?’

Luke lifted them from his small hands. Just as he’d feared. Bright green neon ninja turtles. The little face was staring up at him, so pleased with the item that he’d found. Waiting for him to say something.

Abby frowned as she reached over and fingered the swim shorts. ‘These look just like yours, Reuben.’

‘I know!’ he shouted. ‘We’ll be a match! Isn’t that cool?’

Luke’s eyes drifted between Reuben and Abby. He couldn’t read the expression on her face. It was almost as if she wasn’t quite sure how to react, what to say. Not like Abby at all. But he could read the expression on Reuben’s face and he didn’t hesitate.

‘These look fabulous, Reuben. I love them.’

‘You do?’

‘Sure I do. Now give me two minutes so I can pay for all this stuff.’

Luke pulled the labels off the T-shirt and shorts that he was wearing and handed them to the cashier, along with the other items.

Two minutes later they left with his crumpled shirt and dress trousers stuffed into one of the plastic bags.

Abby ran her eyes up and down the length of him. Something prickled under her gaze. Something thankfully hidden beneath baggy beach shorts. She knew him better than he knew himself.

Another hour later they were on the beach, lying on their matching ninja turtle beach towels. Luke pulled off his newly purchased sneakers and exposed his hot feet to the cool air around them.

‘You didn’t have to do that.’

‘Do what?’

She stuck the parasol into the sand and tilted it towards Reuben’s towel to shade him from the sun. ‘Buy all this stuff.’ She pointed to the items lying around them.

Luke leaned towards her. ‘I’ll have you know that I’ve always wanted a ninja turtle towel. They just didn’t seem to have them anywhere in Washington.’ He lay back, raising his hands to shade his face from the sun. ‘I guess I just lucked out, coming here.’

‘I guess you did.’

The words seemed to hang in the air between them, the meaning more than either one could say. Abby bit her bottom lip. Today was so different for her. Usually when she and Reuben came to the beach, they came alone. But Luke’s presence was everywhere, and it wasn’t just his muscular frame.

She’d noticed a difference in Reuben, how he was acting. He kept giving sidelong glances at Luke, looking for his approval on what towel he wanted, what ice cream he picked, what path they chose to walk to the beach.

And it was uncomfortable. She was used to being the centre of Reuben’s whole world—as he was hers—and something about this just didn’t feel right. She wasn’t used to him asking someone else’s opinion or considering someone else’s point of view. She made all the decisions for the two of them. It was her word that was law. Her hand that he held. Her permission that he sought.

Abby gave herself a shake. This was silly. Luke was only here for a few days. He was a novelty to Reuben, a novelty that would soon wear off when Reuben realised that Luke wasn’t really interested in him.

Her eyes drifted over to the water’s edge. Reuben had met some other kids and was busy making mud pies—his favorite hobby every time they came here. Pelican Cove was lucky, they had lifeguards who patrolled the beach during the summer season, both for the families and for the ardent surfers who spent most of the day on the waves.

There were lots of families here, all resting back and enjoying their time at the beach.

Families.

Something about the word made her uncomfortable again. She cast her eyes around the beach. Would other people think they were a family? A happy mom, dad and son spending a day at the beach?

Her eyes fell on Luke as he leaned back with his eyes closed on the towel. With his white-blond hair and matching swimwear it was likely that people would assume he was Reuben’s father. She bit her lip.

But he wasn’t. And he hadn’t wanted to be. He hadn’t wanted to be a father to any child. So why was he here playing happy families with her today?

Abby gave a sigh and leaned back against her towel. There was no point in thinking about this. There was no point in over-analysing things. What was done was done. In a few days’ time Luke would be gone again. So maybe she should just focus on the good. The companionship. The warmth, the comfort and the passion. It could be a long time before she felt those things again.

Luke was dreaming. Or maybe it was daydreaming. The sun was beating down on his skin and if he just turned on his side and reached out there was a warm body next to his. A warm body that arched, then fitted comfortably next to his, sliding into place as if it was always meant to be there, easing tight butt cheeks right against his…

‘Luke!’

The enthusiastic voice pulled him from the wonderland he’d been inhabiting, jerking him back to present day and time. Or maybe he hadn’t been dreaming. His body was spooned around Abby’s, his hand wrapped tightly around her waist. Now, if he just lifted his hand a little more and slipped it underneath her shirt…

‘Come on, Luke!’

The voice was still there and wasn’t going to go away. Luke heaved himself up, pulling his shorts to adjust their position. He blinked in the bright sunlight and pulled his shades down from his forehead. Abby was sleeping peacefully on the beach towel next to him. She hadn’t even heard Reuben’s voice.

Luke tried to crowd out the immediate thoughts in his head. The thoughts that tried to vanquish this little guy from sight. He stared at the little pair of eyes fixed on his. Nope. He definitely wasn’t going away.

‘What’s up, Reuben?’

‘I want to go in the water and I’m not allowed without an adult. Beach rules number one.’ The words rolled off his tongue in ease.

Luke’s face broke into a smile. How could he fail to? He leaned forward. ‘So how many beach rules are there, Reuben?’

‘Seven.’ He didn’t hesitate for a second. ‘Wanna hear them all?’

Luke nodded slowly as he glanced at Abby again. She looked tired and he’d kept her up half the night. She deserved some rest. He pulled the beach parasol closer to shade her from the sun and stood up. ‘Let’s go, little guy.’

He hesitated, just for a second, before reaching out his hand to Reuben’s and walking down to the water’s edge with him. Around them he could see lots of families in the water, fathers throwing their kids over their shoulders and ducking them under the waves. How hard could this be?

‘I want to do that.’ Reuben’s voice had a determined edge to it, his finger pointing in the direction of the surfers.

Luke’s brow furrowed. Right now, he’d like to do that too.

‘Have you done it before, short stuff?’

‘Mommy can’t surf. She said I’d need to wait for one of her friends to show me.’

Luke nodded. Sounded reasonable enough. There was a shack on the beach where some guy was hiring out surfboards, boogie boards and life vests. He pulled Reuben over and fitted him with a bright orange life vest. His eyes ran over the boards on offer and settled on a purple one. He pointed towards it. ‘We’ll take that one.’

‘Really?’ Reuben’s eyes widened at the adult-sized board, full of enthusiasm and excitement.

‘Sure.’ Luke pulled some dollar bills from his pocket and handed them over before lifting the board under his arm and walking down towards the ocean. He bent to speak to Reuben before entering the ocean.

‘So, I’ve got some ocean rules for you.’

Reuben nodded solemnly whilst his eyes swept over the ocean in front of him. He was practically jumping for joy.

‘First time out, we’re just going to paddle the board out a little, sitting on it together. Got it?’

Reuben nodded. ‘I’m going to surf,’ he said proudly.

Luke raised his finger. ‘We won’t be doing any of the standing-up stuff yet. And we won’t be going too far out either.’ He put his arms out, his body drifting from one side to the other. ‘We’re just going to get a feel for the waves, okay?’

‘Let’s go, Luke.’ Reuben was bouncing on the tips of his toes. He could hardly wait to start. A wide smile broke across Luke’s face. He knew another guy who used to be exactly the same.

He set the board down and plopped Reuben astride on top of it, pushing it out into the waves until the water reached his waist. Then he pulled himself up next to Reuben, sitting close behind him, and leaned forward. ‘Let’s start paddling!’ he shouted.

And then they started. Paddling their hands as fast as they could, pushing themselves out towards the wide ocean expanse. After a few minutes they stopped and turned the board round to face the shoreline. And sat there—feeling the waves.

And Reuben chatted. Constantly. And asked questions. Constantly. For a four-year-old he seemed to have spent some considerable time watching National Geographic. He wanted to talk about tides and moons. And crabs and dolphins. And sharks. Mainly about sharks. Before he moved onto volcanoes then racing cars.

And Luke listened. And listened. This four-year-old stuff wasn’t as hard as it seemed. He was just a mini-version of Ryan. He had the same boundless energy and enthusiasm—they must have paddled in and out around ten times by now and his brain never stopped.

Reuben wanted to know everything. The kid was just like a giant sponge, trying to soak up every bit of information all around him. And if Luke could have transported himself through time and space to a time when Ryan had still been alive, he knew that they would still end up here, in this place. Because everything about this just felt so right. On these surfboards, at this beach, enjoying everything the day had to offer.

They turned to face the shore again and Luke squinted. It looked as if Abby had woken up. ‘Look, short stuff, there’s your mom, looking for us.’ He pointed to her bikini-clad figure on the beach. A very small red bikini that made him wish he was much closer to shore.

‘Uh-oh.’

‘What do you mean—uh-oh?’

‘Mom’s gonna be mad.’

‘Why would she be mad?’

Reuben gave a little chuckle. A tiny four-year-old-sized chuckle. ‘Cos I’m not allowed.’

Luke felt his stomach sink. ‘Reuben Tyler, you’re not allowed to do what, exactly?’

‘Surf.’

Luke caught sight of Abby as she walked swiftly toward the shoreline. She was not in a happy place. He leaned forward on the board. ‘Start paddling, little man, looks like we’re in trouble.’

Abby had woken with a start. She never fell asleep on the beach. Not when she was there with Reuben. That was irresponsible. Anything could happen.

Silence. All around her. Well, not completely. There were still plenty of other families on the beach, digging sandcastles, eating snacks. But there was a strange silence around her. One that she wasn’t used to.

She sat up quickly, her hand reaching over to the towel next to her. It was cold. No warm body had just vacated it. Her head flicked from side to side, trying to catch a glimpse of either pair of neon green turtle shorts on the beach. Nowhere. They were nowhere in sight.

Her heart gave a little lurch. Stop it. Reuben wasn’t alone. He must be with Luke. But where were they?

She saw the kids to her left that Reuben had made the mud pies with earlier. Pulling her hat firmly on her head, she walked towards them quickly. ‘Have you seen Reuben lately?’ she asked, trying to keep the strain from her voice.

The kids barely looked upwards. Both were too immersed in burying something in the sand. ‘He’s surfing with his dad,’ came the reply.

Her head shot upwards, eyes flickering over the horizon. She could see lots of surfboards on the ocean, most of them far away, like specks on the waves. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t have.

Then she saw it. A board nearer the shore with a hand, raised giving her a wave. Two bodies sitting one in front of the other astride the surfboard, paddling towards her. The two white-blond heads close together, laughing and paddling as fast as they could.

She ran down towards the shoreline as the purple board bobbed towards her. Her eyes couldn’t even focus on Luke. She looked entirely at Reuben.

‘Reuben Tyler, what do you think you’re doing?’

‘Paddling,’ Reuben answered, and Luke almost guffawed. Lord, this kid was smart.

‘Get off that board right now. You know you’re not allowed to go surfing.’

‘Surfing’s the next lesson, Mommy. Today Luke and I were just feeling the waves.’ He held his arms out and rocked his body from side to side like Luke had done earlier.

Abby felt her heart pounding in her chest. She waded into the water and yanked Reuben from the board, putting his feet down firmly on solid ground. Her face was pale. ‘He’s not allowed to do things like this, Luke. It’s too dangerous. I won’t let Reuben take risks.’

Luke slid off the board and pulled it to shore. He placed his hand on Abby’s arm. ‘He was perfectly safe with me, Abby. I wouldn’t take risks with your son.’

She met his eyes and swallowed hard. What she really wanted to do was shout and scream at him for taking her son out onto the ocean. She could see the bright orange life preserver wrapped around him, but right now she didn’t care. Anything could have happened. They could have been swept away. The tide could have turned, a current could have caught them or a rip-tide. A visible shudder swept down her spine.

A hand crept around her waist and a warm, wet body touched hers. Reuben was already bounding up the beach towards their parasol and towels.

‘He’s fine Abby.’ The breath from the words tickled the side of her neck. She watched the retreating figure. He was fine. He was safe.

So why was she so wound up? Was it the other kids, calling Luke Reuben’s dad? Or was it the thought of Reuben getting to do something special, something he’d asked to do for a long time, with someone other than her? The thoughts spun around in her head. Was it possible she was jealous of the connection Reuben and Luke were making? A connection that didn’t include her?

Abby pulled her white cardigan a little closer around her shoulders. It had taken longer than normal to get Reuben to sleep tonight. He’d been so excited by his day at the beach he’d been chattering for hours. She looked at the little sleeping figure in the bed in front of her. His hair lay on the blue pillow, his chest rising and falling lightly with every breath. Perfect. And hers.

She sighed and closed the door quietly behind her. Luke had said he would sort out dinner. He’d been tiptoeing around her for the last few hours. Probably trying to placate her after her outburst on the beach. Had she been unreasonable? She’d never had to consult anyone else on her parenting of Reuben. She’d thought she was all that Reuben would ever need. But as her son was getting older was that still the case? Or did a little boy really need a father figure in his life?

The smell of food was drifting along the corridor. She went down the stairs and into the kitchen but there was no sign of Luke. A light breeze caught her dress and made it dance around her legs, and she turned swiftly. The front door was open.

Luke was sitting on a picnic rug on the grass in front of her house. He smiled as she came down the steps and handed her a glass of chilled wine. ‘Cheers,’ he said, clinking the glass with his bottle of beer as she sat down beside him.

‘I thought we shouldn’t let this beautiful evening go to waste.’

A smile crept across her lips. Two plates of barbeque chicken and baked potatoes sat in front of her. Last time they’d eaten this meal, it had come from a take-out and they’d been sitting on top of a hill in Washington, watching the sunset. This time Luke had obviously spent some time mastering her outside barbeque. The smell was mouthwatering.

‘I wonder where you got this idea. This seems awfully familiar,’ she murmured as she saw the glint in his eye.

‘I wonder indeed,’ he replied as he gently ran a hand along her bare leg. ‘So what do you think?’

She gave him a little smile as the nerve endings in her skin caused her hairs to stand on end. She looked down at the plates. ‘I think your cooking skills have obviously improved over the last few years. But I’m a bit scared to ask who taught you.’

He leaned back onto one elbow and gave her a flirty smile. ‘I’m self-taught. You left me with one saucepan and a microwave. What’s a guy to do?’

He moved a little closer, slipping an arm around her shoulders as he lifted one of the plates onto her lap. ‘And that wasn’t what I meant.’

‘What did you mean, then?’ Somehow she knew exactly how this night was going to turn out. She took a bite of the barbeque chicken and gave a deep sigh. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had cooked for her. Right now it didn’t matter what Luke had served—anything would have been delicious.

He gestured towards the view in front of them. The sun was just beginning to set, sending deep oranges and red spilling across the ocean waves.

‘Washington or Pelican Cove, which has the best sunset?’

She spluttered as she took a drink from her wine glass. ‘How can you even ask that question? When did we ever get views like this in Washington?’

Luke took a drink from his beer bottle and leaned downwards, whispering in her ear. ‘I guess you’re right. The ocean view here is a clear winner.’ He took the plate from her hands and set it down on the grass next to them. Abby leaned back on her elbows, a smile across her face as Luke’s body crossed over hers, his hands on either side of her head, his body right above hers. ‘But there’s a view here that I’d much rather see.’ He bent forward and she tipped her head backwards, exposing the white skin at her throat again as he pushed her cardigan to one side and started to kiss the delicate skin.

Her heart fluttered. He still knew exactly where to touch her. How to connect with her. How to send her pulse racing at the slightest touch. ‘And what view might that be, Dr Storm?’

He gave a deep, throaty laugh at the use of his title. She’d reverted back to their game-playing from years ago, when they’d both just qualified and been eager to use their titles. His head bent lower, inching her coral-coloured sundress away from her breasts. His heavy-lidded eyes met hers and he growled, ‘What do you think, Dr Tyler?’

She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his short hair and then down the wide planes of his back, settling her hands on his butt cheeks and pulling him closer to her. Her legs opened naturally, letting him settle into the space between them as he pressed closer. She could feel exactly what she wanted.

Something about this was perfect. Five years ago, on a secluded Washington hill, they’d been in exactly this same position. His mouth tickled lower, pushing her bra aside and catching her nipple between his teeth. She let out a sharp gasp and thrust her hips against his.

There had been something about this before. Being out in the open air, at sunset in a place where no one could find them. This time they were on her front lawn, but her house was at the end of a secluded path that no one came down. She heard the sound of a zipper being released and felt him nudge her panties to one side.

There was wicked gleam in his eye. ‘So, Dr Tyler, since we’re re-creating a moment from our past, do you want to re-create the full evening or just part of the evening?’

It was a loaded question. The night in question had been long and eventful. She nibbled at his earlobe. ‘I was with a younger model then,’ she murmured. ‘I’m a little concerned the older version won’t be able to keep up.’

She felt a tickle at her throat as his evening stubble scraped her skin. His voice was heavy with desire. ‘Oh, no, this isn’t the older version, this is the new, improved version. With power settings.’

‘Is that right?’ She could feel his fingers, easing into her and taking her towards the place she wanted to be. ‘Let’s see these power settings, then.’

Her hips tilted upwards, readying herself for him.

‘Mommy!’ Her body stiffened instinctively. ‘Mommy, where are you?’

Luke groaned and rolled off her as she scrabbled to pull her clothing back into place. She leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his forehead. ‘Sorry, Luke, the joys of motherhood.’ She jumped up and ran up the steps inside the house. ‘I’m right here, honey.’

He heard her trying to placate the little boy who’d obviously woken suddenly, and he heaved a sigh, straining to adjust his zipper back into place. It would be a long time before she was back. If she came back.

Luke picked up his half-full beer bottle and took a long, hard swig. Pelican Cove was a gorgeous setting but it came with complications. Complications that he didn’t know if he could handle. Everything about Abby was perfect and the connection between them was still there. The chemistry. When they were together he felt complete. Something he hadn’t felt at any point in the last five years. Something he’d never managed to capture with anyone else.

But could he live like this? With constant interruptions? No more long lie-ins, no more lazy days in bed, with just themselves to worry about.

For a few hours that afternoon he’d thought he could. He felt something towards Reuben. The little boy had hung on his every word. Wanted to impress him. Wanted to spend time with him.

But the question remained. Did he want to spend time with Reuben?